With Milestones Met, Alameda Point Charges On

Alameda Point Partners has completed demolition of the 30-acre Site A parcel of the former air station and is 50% complete with construction of the infrastructure to include parks as well as a ferry terminal.

By: Lisa Brown, GlobeSt.Com

ALAMEDA, CA—While Naval Air Station Alameda closed more than 20 years ago, the site is finally coming to life in a $1 billion mixed-use transit-oriented development. And, key milestones have been recently met on phase one of Alameda Point’s Site A development project.

Alameda Point Partners is a joint venture between managing partner Trammell Crow Residential, a division of Dallas-based Crow Holdings, Los Angeles-based developer Cypress Equity Investments, and San Francisco Bay Area-based commercial developer srmERNST Development Partners. The group is behind the massive project underway on the waterfront.

Alameda Point Partners closed escrow on 30 acres of the 68-acre Site A parcel in March 2018 and celebrated its groundbreaking in May 2018. Now, it has completed demolition of the entire 30-acre site and is 50% complete with construction of the infrastructure which includes water, sewer, electrical and gas lines, a street grid with bike and transit lanes, eight acres of original parks as well as a ferry terminal in Seaplane Lagoon.

“The remaining infrastructure work with an estimated completion of year-end 2019 includes the completion of the off-site sewer, the installation of water lines and the underground power grid, as well as paving, street lighting and landscaping,” Bruce Dorfman, senior managing director of Trammell Crow Residential’s Northern California division, tells GlobeSt.com. “In total, Site A’s open space plan includes 15 acres of parks and open space to be comprised of three distinct districts–the Waterfront Park district, Urban Park District and Neighborhood Park District. The districts are linked together with landscaped pedestrian walkways, bike paths and trails to create a walkable, accessible, transit-oriented network of open space that will serve as a recreational and cultural amenity for the region.”

Completion of the infrastructure for phase one of Site A is expected in late 2019, followed by the early 2020 completion of the ferry terminal. The ferry dock is currently being fabricated and construction of the terminal is slated to begin this fall.

“One of the most significant components of the plan is the transit infrastructure with multi-modal strategies that complement and build off each other, including the new ferry terminal, bus rapid transit, the last mile connection to BART with shuttle service every 15 minutes in peak periods, plus bike and car sharing,” said Stephanie Hill, vice president of development of Trammell Crow Residential’s Northern California division and a member of Alameda Point Partners. “The new ferry service is a game changer. It is right at Alameda Point’s front door and provides direct service to downtown San Francisco in 20 minutes. This is a great amenity for residents and businesses of Alameda Point and will cut down on the number of cars on the road.”

Cypress Equity Investments broke ground on July 1 on the construction of 200 market-rate residential units on Block 9 in Site A. This residential community will also include approximately 10,000 square feet of retail/commercial space. The project’s designer is Pyatok Architects and the general contractor is James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp.

Eden Housing recently began construction on 60 units of senior housing on Block 8, with a formal groundbreaking ceremony planned today. All told, Eden Housing will develop a total of 130 affordable housing units on Block 8, a two-acre parcel at the corner of West Atlantic and Orion Street, including 70 units of family housing. KTGY Architecture + Planning is the designer of both buildings.

Hill says Block 6, which has been purchased by Trumark Homes, will start vertical construction of 64 townhomes this summer. KTGY Architecture + Planning is the project’s designer and executive architect. Block 7 is currently optioned by Trumark for 60 townhomes, and Alameda Point expects to close on the sale of the property in mid-July 2019. The concept design architect is DLR Group|Kwan Henmi and the executive architect is KTGY Architecture + Planning.

On Block 11, Trammell Crow Residential, in a venture with Cypress Equity Investments, will be developing a 220-unit market-rate multifamily community named Alexan Pan Am. It is slated to begin in late 2019, and will also include 15,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. The project is located across the street from the waterfront park on Seaplane Lagoon and close to the new ferry terminal. BAR Architects is the project’s designer.

Alameda Point Partners is scheduled to move forward with the transfer of approximately 20 acres from the city in the spring of 2020 for the project’s second phase. The timing of the third phase, which is slated to include a hotel and additional commercial space, will be a function of the Navy’s completion of its remediation activities before the remaining portion of Site A is turned over to Alameda Point Partners, according to Hill.